so right now I have a 2000 Audi A6 with bi-turbo 2.7T engine and 6spd manual transmission, its giving me some trouble, so I'm not sure whether to spend $7k and go to a stage 3 setup, or buy a new car

I've been looking at RX-8, Mini Cooper, Benz CLK class for some time now, and this might be time for me to move on, my A6 needs some work right now and I don't know if I'm willing to spend that muchon it

so I went and testdrove an RX-8 today and I really liked it, I may want to try a manual one as well, and try to test drive the Mini Cooper as well before I actualy make a decision

but I was wondering what are the major issues with RX-8? I drove a 2004 model, not sure on the package, but price was $21k and it had 17,xxx miles - and they are willing to work on the price with me if I do choose to go with it, its black with black/red interior

so my main questions would be engine reliability and what else should I be aware of? any "hidden maintenance"? like with our 2.7T's we have to worry about Throttle Body Boots, diverter valves etc.

I'm also thinking about checking out a 350z; my cousin had a RSX Type-S which was a very nice and pretty quick car, but not exactly my type

I'm going back to college also, so I would want something nice, sporty, reliable, with gas milage similar to what my A6 was getting - around 20mpg highway/city

any help? suggestions? ideas?

 

Theres a Search button up there.

Im not trying to be an *** but, but I've seen the very same question like 20 times a week.

 

gas mileage will most likely be worst, also you have to add about a quart of oil every 1500 or so miles (the rotary engine burns oil, but it's normal, it's suppose to burn oil, it's part of the design.) other than that i think you're pretty safe, the warranty will save you if god forbid something bad happens. but 95% of us have been just fine, there will always be horror stories.

also black is the fastest

goodluck

 

german engineering anyone?

 

yeah but in most cases it just says "use search button"
how much warrenty is there? are there places to buy extended warrenty? my driving will be mostly highway, my A6 wasn't horrible but not too great compared to something like a Civic

 

I would rather you not knock German Engeneering, this is first time I've had trouble with one, plus I'm still debating whether to switch or fix it and go stage 3, which is good for 450hp with AWD and 6-speed manualm with space for a family of 5 and a "mobster size" trunk

 

Civics are great? in terms of what ?

 

gas milage
just that many people like to say how great a honda or toyota are on the gas milage ...

 

..................

I mean no offense but, if you have an A6, why would u even cared about MPG ?

 

because now I would like something thats a little better on gas, has less "doors"

or atleast I'm just thinking about it

 

You drove an automatic? If so you're gonna need to test drive a manual. There is a significant difference in power between the AT and MT especially in the 04 models.

Also, $21k for an 04 with 17k miles is too high. You can pick up a used 05 with under 30k miles for $18k these days.

 

not around my area, but I will keep my eyes open, I have to have my car situation resolved within next 2 weeks

and I'll have to see what exactly did they mean by talking about the price

I test drove a tiptronic A6 2.7T and the difference between my 6spd and a TIP was VERY noticible, I would expect the same here, I just have to keep my eyes open I guess

 

Post your location, someone lurking around here might be looking to sell their 8. You are getting ripped off if you pay more than 19k for an 04 with that many miles.

 

AH i see, At my town dealer has a 04 with 18k miles Red with black leather, it has everything except navigation. They are asking 19400 for it. What you think i should offer em ?

 

$18.52

 

Coming out of a 1.8T VW........there arent' too many "hidden maintainence" on an RX-8. Only a couple things come to my mind immediately 1) Don't shut the car when its COLD, prone to flooding the car with gas in the rotary 2) Be sure to check oil levels every other week if that. 3) Bring it up to upper RPM ranges, it likes it there, its good for the car.

Otherwise coming out of an 2.7T. Two things will be felt immediately 1) You might miss your torque from the turbos 2) Gas mileage is realistically 17-19MPG unless you're doing 65 the whole time, then you might see 20MPG on the highway. Plus it has a small gas tank IMO.

Anyways good luck with your search for an RX-8 and definitely be sure to test drive a manual version before you make final conclusions. Two different behaviors especially for the earlier versions 04-05 auto and manuals.

 

actually RX-8 being a smaller car felt like it was very fast I guess the suspension was a sports package or something because every little bump could have been felt

I will keep an eye out for the manual, infact there is another '04 with 30k miles for $17,995, I think its still a little expensive

I'm in Rochester, NY

 

I owned two different Audi S4 Bi turbo's with 6mt in the past, both modded with exhaust, ecu tuning and aftermarket diverters. The 2.7 tt is a nice set-up, but both of my S4's felt really dead as far as road feel. Fast for sure, fun to drive...not really. If I were looking at a 2.7 A6 vs an RX8 I would choose the RX8 hands-down simply because its a more fun car to drive and own. In fact the RX8 is one of the few cars I have driven to date that provides as much fun while providing seating for four people.

As far as reliability goes I would normally give a Japanese car the nod over German cars as far as reliability, but the Rx8 is a unique car with its own wierd set of maintenance requirements. I think its probably a wash on that front, but as long as you understand the quirkiness of the rotary engine regarding oil use and cold shut-down/flooding issues, then I think the reliability knod still goes to the RX8.

PS- If you are looking for the performance edge get the manual.

 

are there places where one could get extended warrenty? or just go to the dealer?
and I'm hoping for a manual as well

I still want to see a mini cooper, but I think it might be very small

the thing I liked about RX-8 and CLK is that they are very similar in size, but CLK was more comfortable, while I liked how RX-8's interior is layed out and how it handled/responded more then CLK

EDIT

this is the best one I have found so far in my area, and I bet they could drop their price a little
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...ag=1&cardist=0

 

the warranty now for all rx8's is 60k/ 5 years so i wouldn't bother, you're probably just worried about warranty cuz of the probs with the audi.

 

yes, and because of RX-7's engine trouble ...

 

that history really effect the rep for this engine too. but it's far from those trouble's (alot of those bad engines are from owners turning up the boost on the turbo's with out properly preparing the rest of the engine for it.)

but the rx8's don't have turbo's, so most of the preowned ones are just as fresh as the day they were built. out of the replacement engines here, its no where near the rx7's engine (mainly the 93-95 version)

 

so would this be considered a good deal? how much do you think dealer will be able to go down on the price?

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.j...lag=1&cardist=0

could I offer $16k and go from there?

 

if your in ny you shouldnt be paying that much for a used 04.....they are abundant here in jersey....so if you get bored and wanna drive down ill be more than happy to help you pick one

 

The reliability ratings for unmodded, late-gen rotaries are not even in the same ballpark as the VAG 2.7T. There's a reason that Audi went with a 4.2L V8 with the most recent S4/RS4 even though the 2.7T has much greater tuning potential.

I came from a '99 Passat 1.8T (B5 platform, not all that dissimilar from the C5 platform of the 2000 A6). It's a vastly different beast but it was exactly what I was looking for. The only major differences are that you need to keep the "car wash syndrome" in mind, top off the oil once in a while (I used about 1/4 qt per month or autocross event), and rev it up.

MY04, being the first year, was the most problematic. Just make sure that all of the recalls and TSB's are taken care of and you should be golden.